We are deeply worried by this poor decision to halt an independent probe into the handling of sex abuse cases at Bob Jones University (BJU). School officials have many questions to answer. Perhaps the most important one is this: “Why was GRACE fired just days before it was scheduled to start its final report?”

We hope that BJU will reconsider their decision to stop the outside investigation of sexual abuse. We feel that no institution can investigate itself adequately.

Our hearts go out to those brave students who participated in this study. Two hundred and thirty-six surveys were filled out and 80 interviews were completed. By abruptly stopping this study, these brave students have been hurt again.

We urge the students and parents to demand that school officials let GRACE complete and release its report. Students will be safe only when the truth is exposed and concrete steps are taken to correct the problems that allowed the sexual assault of students.

We strongly encourage anyone who has been sexual abused on campus to contact the local authorities so that other students will be protected and they can begin to heal.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We’ve been around for 25 years and have more than 15,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)